This guide is written to help you understand a little of the history and meaning of the Rosary.  I hope you find it helpful and inspirational.

THE MEANING OF THE ROSARY

DEVOTIONAL PRAYER

The word Rosary is derived from the Latin word rosarium meaning a crown of flowers which is a sacred devotion to Our Blessed Mother Mary and Our Lord Jesus Christ.  There are many devotions of praying the Rosary, but the most commonly used is the five Decades, which consists of five sets of ten Hail Marys and at the end of each set concludes with one Our Father, an Apostle's Creed, Glory Be and Hail Holy Queen prayer are also included in a Rosary.

This method of praying amongst Catholics is for a special praise, petition and reflections on the life of Christ.  Each decade represents a mystery in the life of Christ.  There are The Joyful Mysteries: The Announciation, The Visitation, The Nativity, The Presentation and The Finding in the Temple, The Luminous Mysteries: The Baptism of Jesus, The Wedding at Cana, The Proclamation of the Kingdom, TheTransfiguration of Jesus and The Institution of the Eucharist, The Sorrowful Mysteries: The agony in the garden, The scourging, The crowning with thorns, The carrying of the Cross and The Crucifixion, The Glorious Mysteries: The Resurrection, The Ascension, The Descent of The Holy spirit, The Assumption and The Coronation.

Repetition of prayer is very powerful and I believe that when a devotion such as this is prayed with fervor, it's like the word means, is a crown of flowers to Our Blessed Mother Mary and Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Between May and October 1917, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three young Portuguese children near the small village of Fatima.  She asked the children to pray the Rosary daily for the conversion of sinners and asked for devotion to Her Immaculate Heart and on the final apparition, she identified Herself as Our Lady of the Rosary.

When I make a Rosary from gemstones, which are God's creations, I personally find a spiritual connection and that is what I want to convey to the person who obtains it as an inspiration and pelasing to Our Blessed Mother Mary and Our Lord JesusChrist and I'm sure that the persons devoted to the creation of Rosaries experience the same joy and satisfactory experience.Gemstone Rosaries

HOW TO PRAY THE ROSARY

Start by making the sign of the Cross and praying The Apostle's Creed, while you hold the Crucifix.  Pray one Our Father on the first bead above the Crucifix, three Hail Marys and Glory Be.

Announce the first Mystery and meditate on it while praying the Our Father on the second large bead above the Crucifix.  Pray ten Hail Marys on the smaller ten beads and finishing with a Glory Be.  Once you finished with one decade, continue praying with the following beads.  Larger beads Our Fathers and smaller beads Hail Mary's.  When finished pray Hail Holy Queen.

Mysteries for the day of the week: Monday and Saturday, The Joyful Mysteries; Tuesday and Friday pray on the Sorrowful Mysteries; Wednesday pray on The Glorious Mysteries and on Thursday pray on The Luminous Mysteries.